Myself along with 2 blogger friends hit the road this summer in the 2017 Mazda CX-9. We flew into Anaheim then made our way down the southern California coastline to sightsee before our D23 Expo adventure. If you’re planning a trip to California sometime soon, check out our southern California road trip for inspiration.
This is a partnered post. All opinions are my own.
Myrah from CouponMamacita.com and I picked up our 2017 Mazda CX-9 near the airport, then grabbed lunch before circling back for Taty from CoolMomsCoolTips. We were excited for a short girls trip to explore California!
We can’t wait to test out the 2017 CX-9! #drivemazda #D23Expo2017 #d23expo @Couponmamacita #hosted pic.twitter.com/TtGixSQTGH
— Jennifer H (@Lovesmytwoboys) July 12, 2017
Southern California Road Trip Tips
After checking into the Anaheim Marriott near the convention center, we escaped the city life for California’s coastline.
Laguna California
Our first stop was the beautiful views at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. It’s easy to spot as you head down Laguna Canyon Road, and offers 40 miles of scenic trails. I highly recommend packing a cooler with drinks and snacks, and comfy shoes for this road trip!
Laguna Beach
There’s a variety of streets to choose from to catch magnificent views of the ocean, but we found our favorite spots at Thalia Street Park and Oak Street Park. Thalia Street has a Billabong store on the corner, which means it’s a hotspot for surfers. Both locations offer stairs down to the beach, and viewing areas to watch the waves and surfers.
Waves, surf ? and sun at #LagunaBeach #travel #blogger #california pic.twitter.com/xGhEFk44xa
— Jennifer H (@Lovesmytwoboys) July 13, 2017
Crescent Bay Point
This blufftop park has ocean and tide pool views, a grassy area and benches. It’s a quiet spot within a neighborhood, if you’re looking for a different view of the beach life.
Crystal Cove State Park
This state park borders Laguna Beach and Newport Beach. Within the park is several options to bike, surf, swim, and even hike. It’s directly across the street from an open shopping area as well. Crystal Cove requires an admission fee.
Whale Watching Tour at Aquarium of the Pacific
First Risso’s & bottlenose now common dolphins on our whale watching expedition with @AquariumPacific #AOPWhales #hosted #tmom pic.twitter.com/LK6zIQnaJk
— Taty (@CoolChillMom) July 18, 2017
Take an ocean voyage in search of the largest animal on the planet—the blue whale! Additionally, you’ll have the opportunity to spot dolphins, seals, sea lions, and other marine animals on this three-and-a-half-hour cruise. Learn more about the whale watching tours available here.
2017 Mazda CX-9
Talk about a smooth ride! The Mazda CX-9 offers 3-row, 7 passenger capacity with push button start, leather seats, and loads of other features.
Mazda describes their i-ACTIV technology:
Mazda’s available predictive i-ACTIV AWD® all-wheel-drive system monitors changing road conditions and adjusts power delivery to help give you optimal traction before your wheels can slip. Even when the weather’s perfect, i-ACTIV AWD® helps stabilize and improve the CX-9’s overall road grip by sensing changes in steering effort and throttle input to distribute torque more evenly.
The 18 x 8 aluminum alloy wheels have all-season tires, making it perfect for use year-round. While the interior includes a front center console armrest with storage and 2 USB inputs, power windows, seats, and doors, plus an 8″ full-color touch screen display. The girls loved the amount of leg room available in the passenger seats. The Mazda CX-9 has an impressive trunk space, when not using the 3rd row seating.
Because safety is of the utmost importance, the Mazda CX-9 is equipped with advanced dual front air bags, side air bags with rollover protection, anti-lock brakes, advanced blind spot monitoring, a rearview camera, stability control, and more. It’s a fantastic vehicle choice for families, and couples. We highly recommend it!
We hope our Southern California Road Trip inspired you to hit the road this summer!
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Tamra Phelps says
That looks like a fun road trip. The Mazda CX 9 looks great, too, & very roomy.
Oliver Terry says
Oh wow, wonderful. Its awesome and lots of fun.
Kayla Norris says
Looks like a fun trip. I love that it can adjust itself to the road. That’s pretty awesome.
Myrah Duque says
What a fantastic trip! Thank you, Mazda for making it extra special and comfortable!